My Effexor XR experience

I figured I would start a thread so that I could chronicle my experience with Effexor XR, so here it is.

Day 1 (yesterday): Took my first 37.5mg dose in the morning with food. It definitely made me more alert, and a bit lightheaded, but those were the only noticeable side effects.

Day 2: Again, took 37.5mg in the morning with food. This was about an hour ago, and other than being a bit more awake, and having a little bit of nausea, no physical side effects noted. I'm not sure if it is a side effect or just me being me...but I am more than a little irritable today. I'm hoping that it's unrelated to the Effexor because if it is, I'm not sure that I'll be able to handle it. I've also definitely psyched myself out a bit by reading so much about Effexor online, especially about the withdrawal being so hellish and that scares me. I've also read that it doesn't really begin to work on norepinephrine until you get to the higher doses, and my doctor said that he wanted to try it because it's a dual reuptake inhibitor...but there's no way my body would be able to handle a high dose because I'm med sensitive, so now I'm wondering if my doctor put me on the wrong thing seeing as we've tried multiple SSRIs and they aren't right for me which is why he said we should go for a SNRI, but at the dose I'm at and at a dose that my body would be able to handle, Effexor is essentially just another SSRI...it seems that Cymbalta might have been a better choice because it acts equally on serotonin and norepinephrine equally at all doses. Am I right in thinking that? Should I ask my doctor? I'm lost.

Relax for now.....and trust you Doctor and don't read so much.....sometimes reading all that stuff drives us nuts. It very good to understand what we take. I do the same thing. Remember though, they have to disclose everything to protect themselves.

To maybe make you feel a little more at ease. I have been on Effexor XR for 10 years taking 4 pills daily at 75 mg. I will never go off them unless they stop working. I have not had any issues with the drug and consider it my Godsend!!

It's hard to completely trust a doctor who says that they don't know this or that, ya know? And why would he say he wanted to try a SNRI but give me one that isn't actually one until you reach doses much higher than I ever will?

And I know some people (like you) are perfectly happy with being on pills for years on end, but I am not one of those people. I am one of those people who is only willing to even consider meds when I am at rock bottom and have nowhere to go but up. I don't want to be on them for years, and yes, I know that that means I'll probably be going on and off for life, but to me, that seems better than being dependent forever...and that's why withdrawal matters.

Wow, I am neither unhappy or happy about being on meds. I have a verified illness called depression that nothing will help except drugs. I am not weak, or etc. I was a caseworker doing a fantastic job on meds, and I have a degree in Psychology. I am now retired. Depression is an illness like cancer, or diabetes. We cannot talk ourselves well. We take meds to help our illness, to live, to function , to enjoy life. If you think you can beat mental illness by strength of character, you are very wrong. Been there, done that. I know I am sick and I accept that and that is why I have been doing so well.

I'm not saying that people on meds are weak or anything like that. I'm just saying that I don't want to be dependent on meds forever. I realize that mental disorders are completely real illnesses and that many people need medication to function and live life, but I also know that there are people who don't need medication forever and always. I was on meds for about a year and was doing just fine without for about 2 years after I stopped. That's all I'm saying. I understand that in all likelihood I will be on and off drugs and in and out of therapy for the rest of my life, and that's okay with me because I know that I can't just fix myself by will (if it were possible, wouldn't we all do it??), but that absolutely does not mean that I'll be happy to have to be on meds.

My mom could barely stand me today because I'm so irritable/moody...and let me tell you, it's BAD. I'm actually kind of afraid to even continue taking this because I've never had such a strong mental reaction to any med and although yes maybe it'll settle down, I don't know that I want to take that risk, especially since the drug info sheet says "CONTACT THE DOCTOR AT ONCE if new, worsened, or sudden symptoms such as depressed mood; anxious, restless or irritable behavior; panic attacks; or any unusual change in mood or behavior occur." That pretty much describes what's happened to me to a T...so I'm gonna have to call my doctor first thing tomorrow morning.

I was on effexor xr for 4 days and just wasn't myself and it was horrible. then my doc switched me from that to cymbalta, and cymbalta was like the perfect fix drug for me.
The doc discouraged me cymbalta at first because she said it was the same thing as effexor but i had no other choice at that time and cymbalta worked. Now tho, cymbalta has had effects that i'm not too fond of, and i think it's time for a new one as my brain chemicals have changed around since i first started taking it when i was 16yr.

But what effexor did to me was make me a living zombie pretty much, and i would just stare at the wall with vague thoughts here and there, but nothing of much imporantance. then when i got off of it -even tho it was only 4 days i had flu like symptoms for 2 days afterwards. (my body gets the meds in my system a lot quicker than those of normal digestion.)

I'm definitely gonna call my doctor tomorrow and possibly ask about Cymbalta.

Oh, and let's add insomnia to the list of negatives...ugh.

Day 3: I had an extremely hard time falling asleep last night even though I was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but I was quite restless and kept moving around in bed/getting up. I finally gave up and took a Xanax which I really hoped would knock me out, but it didn't. It was still a good chunk of time before I fell asleep, and even after, it was fairly restless sleep. This morning, almost as soon as I woke up, I called my doctor's office and I spoke with a nurse. I told her what had been going on and she said not to take my dose today and that she would have my doctor give me a call. I'm still waiting for the call, and it's almost 4pm

When I went back on Effexor XR in January I had to build up to the correct dose slowly, over the course of about a month. In the beginning I had some side effects and felt different, but those all have stopped at this point and I feel great.

With these kinds of drugs you can't always judge the outcome after only a few days or even a few weeks. Lots of them cause side effects at first that disappear after a few weeks on the med.

Also, every time you go off an SNRI that works, it's less likely to work the next time you need it.

You don't have to trust doctors, but at some point you have to trust someone because if you were handling it on your own you wouldn't be at the doctor in the first place. It's very common to have to try a lot of different things before finding the drug or drug combo that works. It doesn't mean the doctor doesn't know what s/he's doing.

My doctor pretty much told me that he doesn't know what he's doing...I think it's fair to not exactly trust him and to say that it doesn't seem like he knows what he's doing. I'm done with him...he did end up calling me today, around 6pm, and he said to go off everything but my Xanax as needed for at least a couple of weeks and reevaluate then. That doesn't seem like a great idea, and I was already thinking about going to a psychiatrist, so I'm going to try and get in to see one ASAP. My friend gave me the name and number of his psychiatrist who he says is really good, and I'm also going to see what my school's counseling center can do for me.

I hate Effexor XR. It caused tinnitus and permenant hearing loss in my left ear. Yes, this was indeed confirmed after going off the med and many, many tests. Hell would freeze over before i'd take that med again.

Hi, i was on Effexor Xr 150mg for for 4months and it really helped me. it did gave me insomnia so I took it in the morning and my dr gave me Seroquel XR to sleep. The two meds work well together. The withdrawal sypmtoms was HELL!! but I guess the benefits are worth it. Everyone body is different so you should not go with the blogs online. I have read most of them and because of what I read i came off of it and now my anxiety is back but not as bad. But i think it does indeed restore your brain chemicals I am not as depress and anxious anymore. i am thinking about going back on a low dose to balance me out. I am just giving myself a few months more. Goodluck .

Hiya,

I totally relate to not completely trusting your pdoc. I am having issues with my new one pushing meds but here's the kicker. They are diagnosing you with an illness and that means they are liable to treat you. if they didn't treat you (and how could they treat you without meds - they're typically not therapists) they would become liable should something bad happen.

Having said that I dont' agree with meds for a lifetime unless you have something like schizophrenia. i know there are a couple people on here who advocate meds but it's truly a personal choice. If you dont' want to be taking meds start reading books by Peter Breggin He is a Harvard trained psychiatrist who does not believe in medication. He actually helped my friend get off her meds.

You are more than right to do extensive research on the meds you're being prescribed and to question your pdoc. If you're concerned about this drug then tell him/her this early on so they can switch you to something else because you know your own body more than the doctor does. You know what you can tolerate or not.

My advice is don't go blindly following a doctor, they are human after all. You're doing a great job speaking about it. keep it up, let us know how you're doing.

love and hugs,
Tara

Missbelle,

I think you may be a little misguided in your notion that everybody with depression needs meds to function. For some people depression is situational, even major depression can be caused by life circumstances. Some people can overcome depression through therapy especially cognitive behavioral therapy. Just like i don't advocate that people quit their meds even though I have you shouldn't advocate blind trust and acceptance of whatever med a doctor thinks a person should be on. There has to be a happy medium.

Love and hugs,
Tara

Can you give it more time? I have been on meds where the side effects disappeared after a while.

As far as meds go, I am very anti medicaton. I hate taking them. For years now I have been on and off meds. Now I am back on them. I found a new Pdoc that really listens to me and what I want. I was really blown away at my last appt when she said she would like to see me more comfortable(bad anxiety). Most pdocs could care less.

I not sure how long I will be on these meds maybe 6 months maybe the rest of my life. I always thought my mental health was related to my past, but now as my children are reaching late teens and early adulthood I am seeing there is a genetic factor to this.

Sometime it can be a long process to find the right mix.

Maggy Jo

Two of my sisters said Effexor was horrible for them, and I found a reputable website which claimed that "if it works for a siblling or not, can indicated how well it would work, or not, for you." So, I have to cancel my new prescription for it. I still haven't found one that will not cause high BP or have effects on the liver.

The also said Effexor can cause permanent neurological damage. But don't know the source of that. They did the research, though.

I have a feeling, you won't find too many drugs that don't have a list of possible bad side effects.